Multirate electric meter.



A. W. BURKE. MULTIRATE ELECTRIC METER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

1,082,148. Patented Dec.23,1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT onrion.

ALFRED. W. BURKE, 0F WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. V

MULTIRATE ELEo'rnrc METER.

To all whom it'muy concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W; BURKE, a subiect: of the King of Great Britain, re-

. sidingat'Wil-kinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multirate Electric Meters, of which the following is aspecification.

Th's'invention is a recording watt-meter for alternating electric currents provided with means, controlled from some central point, whereby the meter-of each individual consumer may be caused to run'and "register at difierent rates at different times. The invention is applicable to a meter of the induction type, having'ashort series or-.

'cui'rent coil of low resistance and a long shunt or potential coil of high resistance. Thereading of such a meterv ent invention, the rateof the meter is va ried by varying the voltage impressed on its shunt-coil, that is by either adding. to or subtracting from the normal line voltage impressed upon it;

Referring. to the accompanying draw1ng-- Figure'l is a diagrammatic view of the lighting-system and meter of an individual consumer, with means, including'an autotransformer having an intermediate tap; for

decreasing the voltage impressed on the meter shunt-coil to one-half its normal value; 'Fig. 2 is a diagrammaticview of an individual lighting-system and meter, with means, including a double-wound transformer with an intermediate secondary tap, for either increasing or decreasing the voltage normally impressed on the meter shuntcoil; and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a similar lightingstation, with a modified means. including a transformer and a double-pole double-thrdw switch, for increasing or decreasing the voltage applied to the meter shunt-coil.

Fig. 1 illustrates aniindividual'lightingstation havingv mains 1, 2 connected to the primary 3'61? a transformer, the secondary 4 of which has-leads 5, 6 carrying current to the lamps or other translating devices 7.

' The series-coiYS of the induction-meter is interposed inthe lead 5., and the shunt-coil 9 of the meter is normally connected across the leads 5, 6. iltiTTE'i'LllitlS of an autodepends on the amounts of current slmultaneouslytravers- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 23, 1913.

Application filed March 11, 1912. Serial- No. 682,885.

, transformer 10 are also connected across the shunt-coil 9. Rigidly connected to the. switch arm 16 is a lever 19, tothe outer end' of which is secured a link 20 connected to the plunger-armature 21 of an electromagnet 22.

Thewind'in'g of this electromagnet is connected hy leads 23 to some central control.

point, for example the power-plant. A tension-spring 24 is also connected to, the end of the lever 19, acting in opposition to the, pull of the plunger 21. v 4

When the switch 16 is in the position illuse trated, resting on the switch-point 13, the

normal line voltage-is impressed on the meter shunt-coil 9. by the lead 5 directly,

connected to one of its ends and the lead 6 indirectly connected toits other end through the wires '12 and 18. When. howeven'the electromagnetQQ is energized from the central control-point, the switch-arms are thrown to open the circuit at the switchthereby opening the normal circuit of the point 13 and close it on the sWitch-point 15,

shunt-coil and including this coil in a' circuit. comprising one-half only of' the transformenwinding 10. The voltage impressed on the shunt-coil is thereby cut in half and the rate and reading of the meter are correspondingly decreased. In practice,

it is sometimesnccessary that the tap 14 should extend from a point near hut'not exactly at the middle of the windino',l0. depending upon the characteristics 0 the par ticular meter employed. A short secondary transformer-winding 25 mav be placed in proximity to the winding: 10. to SPRVQ as a source of low-voltage current for ringing former is connected across thc lcnds (l.

One end of the secondary winding 27 of this transformer is connected by a wire 28 connected by a wire to anot 'nectcd to the main 6 by a wire 35.

to a switch-point 29, and its other end is 5 rigidly connected by a bar 41 of insulating her switchpoint 31. From the middle or" this secondary winding a wire 32 extends to one end of the meter shunt-coil 9, the other endof this shunt-coil. being directly connected to the lead 5. -A switch 38, pivoted at its middle point 34, is arranged to bear alternately on the contacts 29 or 31, and is itself con- This switch, like that illustrated in Fig. 1, has an actuating-lever 19 connected to the plunger-armature 21 of an electromagnet 22 in a control-circuit 23, a spring 24 acting in opposition to the clectromagnet. When the switch is in the position illustrated, bein closed on point 3l., the voltage ir )IBSSE on the meter shunt-coil 9 is but one-half the normal line voltage, being the difierence of the line-voltage itself and the opposed half-line-voltage induced in that part of the transformer secondary-winding 27 between the wires 30 and 32. When, however, the

' electromagnet 22 is energized and the switch is thrown off the point 81 and onto the point 29, the voltage impressed on the meter shunt-coil is one and one-halftiines the line voltage, being the line voltage itself plus the half-line-voltago induced'in that portion of the secondary transformer-winding 27 between the leads 28 and 32. By shifting the switch, the meter is thus caused to register at three times its normal rate.

Fig. 3 illustrates a lighting station having the same leads, supply-transformer and meter coils "as are shown in Figs, 1,2, the series coil 8 being interposed in the lead 5. The primary coil 26 of a double-wound transformer "is also bridged across the leads 5, -6. The ends of the secondary coil 36 of this transformer are connected by wires 37, 38 to the arms 39, 40 of a double-pole doule-throw switch. These two arms are material, to which is secured an actuatinglever 19 controlled by the plunger of an clectromagnet 22 and by a spring 24, as heretofore.- ()ne end of the meter shunt-coil 9 is directly connected to the lead 5 and its other end is connected by a wire 42 to a switcl'i-point 43 controlled by the arm 40; also, by a wire 4% leading from the switchpoint 43, to a switch-contact 45 controlled by the arm 39. tacts 46, 47 are connected by a Wire 48 to the lead 6. By this control-mechanism, the entire voltage induced in the trans'i'ormerwinding 36 is added to or subtracted from the normal line voltage impressed on the meter shunt-coil 9, depending on the position of the switch-arms 39, 4:0, ascontrolled by the circuit 23 of the electromagnet 22.

I claim: l 51. In combination with a recording electric induction watt-meter having current and potential coils, means for varying the normal line-voltage impressed on the potential coil and thereby varying the meterrate, said means comprising atransformer shunted across the line and having variable connections to said potential coil.

2. In combination with a recording eiectrio induction watt-meter having current and potential coils, means, for' yarying the rate, said means comprisinga transformer shunted across the line and-having, variable connections to said potential coil, controlled by a separate circuit.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

EUGENE A. Brnnns,; C. "W. FOWLER.

(topics of this patent may he obtained ior are cents each, by sfidressing the Commissioner-of Patents,

' Washington, D. o.

The other two switch-coin.

ALFRED w. BUR KE.' 

